What is a nosebleed?
And what are its types?
And what are its causes?
When is it dangerous?
What is the treatment of nosebleeds at home?
And how to prevent it?
nosebleed
Nosebleeds are bleeding from the nose, and while they can be bothersome or frightening, they are not usually a sign of anything serious and can often be treated at home, according to the UK's National Health Service.
During a nosebleed, blood flows from one or both nostrils.
It can be strong or mild and last from a few seconds to 15 minutes or longer.
Nosebleed in English
The English name for epistaxis is Nosebleed
Lean forward and breathe in through your mouth. This will drain the blood into your nose instead of the back of your throat (Sidra Medicine)
What is the reason for bleeding from the nose?
The inside of your nose is full of tiny, delicate blood vessels that can get damaged and bleed relatively easily.
Causes of a nosebleed
Common causes of nosebleeds include:
Nose grub.
Strong blowing of the nose.
Minor injury to the nose.
Changes in humidity or temperature, causing the inside of the nose to become dry and cracked.
Sometimes, the bleeding can come from blood vessels deep inside the nose.
This can happen due to a blow to the head or recent nose surgery.
Who gets a nosebleed?
Nosebleeds are fairly common and most people will experience them now and then.
Anyone can get a nosebleed, but it often affects:
Children between the ages of 2 and 10 years.
Elderly.
pregnant women.
People taking medicines such as aspirin or anticoagulants such as warfarin.
People with blood clotting disorders, such as haemophilia.
Bleeding may also be stronger or last longer if you are taking anticoagulants, have a blood clotting disorder, or have high blood pressure
When is a nosebleed dangerous?
Nosebleeds are usually not serious.
However, frequent or profuse nosebleeds may indicate more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or a blood clotting disorder, and should be checked and found out.
Excessive bleeding over a long period of time can also lead to more problems such as anemia.
If your doctor suspects a more serious problem is causing your nosebleed, he or she may refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist for further testing.
types of nosebleed
Nosebleeds can be caused by a number of different things.
It is not always possible to determine the exact cause of the occurrence of one of them.
Nosebleeds can start inside the nostrils (anterior) or the back of the nose (posterior).
These different types of nosebleeds have different causes.
anterior epistaxis
The vast majority of nosebleeds are anterior nosebleeds, which means that the bleeding comes from the wall between your nasal canals (lower septum), just inside your nose.
This part of the nose, known as the Little's area, contains many delicate blood vessels that can be easily damaged.
Sometimes the cause of an anterior nosebleed is unknown, but it can be caused by a number of things, including:
Scratching or picking and injuring the nose.
Strong excitation.
Minor injury to your nose.
A stuffy nose is often caused by an infection such as a cold or the flu.
Sinusitis.
Dry air or high temperature dries out the inside of the nose.
Hay fever or some type of allergy.
Being at a high altitude.
Excessive use of nasal decongestants.
A crooked nasal septum present from birth (congenital) or as a result of injury (deviated septum).
Anterior nosebleeds are more common in children and are not usually a sign of anything serious.
They can often be easily treated at home.
Posterior nose epistaxis
A small percentage of cases of epistaxis are postnasal bleeds, which means that the bleeding originates from the branches of the arteries that supply blood to the part in the nasal cavity.
This nosebleed is more common in adults than in children, can be more serious than anterior nosebleed and bleed more, and may require medical attention.
Causes of posterior nosebleeds include the following:
receiving a blow to the head.
the fall.
Nose fracture.
Recent nose surgery.
Arteriosclerosis.
Medicines that may cause bleeding, such as aspirin and anticoagulants such as warfarin and heparin.
Tumor in the nasal cavity.
Blood clotting problems, such as hemophilia or von Willebrand disease
Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), an inherited condition that affects the blood vessels.
Leukemia (although this is rare and you may have other symptoms as well).
High blood pressure is more common in people with nosebleeds and may make it difficult to stop the bleeding, but it's not clear if this directly causes nosebleeds.
The cause of frequent nosebleeds
Nosebleeds may occur frequently as a result of serious health problems, such as high blood pressure or a blood clotting disorder, and you should see a doctor.
What is the treatment of nosebleeds at home?
Most cases of nosebleeds can be stopped without medical attention, but sometimes further treatment may be required.
What to do to stop a nosebleed:
Sit, and press firmly on the soft part of your nose, just above the nostrils, for at least 10-15 minutes.
Lean forward and breathe through your mouth. This will drain the blood into your nose instead of back in your throat.
Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables covered with a towel on the bridge of your nose.
Stay upright rather than lying down, as this lowers the blood pressure in the blood vessels in your nose and discourages further bleeding.
When does a nosebleed require medical advice?
Call your GP or emergency room, if:
you are taking a blood-thinning (anticoagulant) medicine such as warfarin, or you have a clotting disorder such as hemophilia, and the bleeding does not stop.
You have symptoms of anemia, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath and pale skin.
If a child under two years old has a nosebleed, this is rare, and there is a possibility that it could be caused by something serious.
You have nosebleeds that come and go regularly.
Have someone drive you to the nearest emergency department, or call 911 for an ambulance, if:
The bleeding continues for more than 20 minutes.
The bleeding was profuse and I lost a lot of blood.
You are having difficulty breathing.
You swallow a large amount of blood that makes you vomit.
Nosebleeds develop after a serious injury, such as a car accident.
Medical treatment for nosebleeds
If you see your doctor or go to the hospital with a nosebleed, you will be evaluated to determine the severity of your condition and the possible causes of it.
Some of the main treatments your doctor may use to stop a nosebleed are:
antibiotic ointment
Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment. Rub a pea-sized amount of it on the front of the nasal septum (the wall between the nostrils). This can reduce inflammation and crusting in the nose and reduce the severity and frequency of bleeding.
The antibiotic ointment is especially effective in children.
ironing
If your doctor is able to pinpoint the exact source of the bleeding, he or she may perform a simple cautery procedure to block the bleeding vessel.
This is usually done with a stick of a chemical called silver nitrate.
The doctor sprays a local anesthetic into your nose to numb it, then holds a silver nitrate stick over the bleeding point for up to 10 seconds.
nose filler
If cauterization is ineffective, or your doctor is unable to identify a specific bleeding point, nasal packing may be recommended with gauze or special sponges to stop the flow of blood by applying pressure to the source of the bleeding.
The filling is usually done after a local anesthetic has been sprayed into the nose. The gauze or sponge will often need to be left in place for 24-48 hours before it is removed by a health professional, and you will usually need to be admitted to hospital to be monitored during this time.
Other treatments for nosebleeds
If the above treatments don't help, you may be referred to a hospital specialist such as an ear, nose and throat doctor for further treatment.
Additional treatments that may be used in hospital include:
Electrocautery.
Blood transfusions to replace the blood you've lost.
tranexamic acid, a drug that can reduce bleeding by helping your blood to clot.
Packing under anaesthetic, in which your nose is carefully filled with gauze while you are unconscious from general anesthesia.
Ligation, a procedure that uses small tools to connect the bleeding blood vessels at the back of the nose.
recovering from nosebleeds
Once your nose stops bleeding, you should follow the tips below to reduce the risk of bleeding again, and to avoid catching an infection:
Avoid blowing or plucking the nose, lifting heavy objects, strenuous exercise, lying down, and hot drinks for 24 hours.
Don't remove any crusts that form inside your nose. They may be annoying, but they are a useful part of the healing process.
If you need to sneeze, try sneezing with your mouth open to reduce pressure in your nose.
Avoid people with coughs and colds.
Nosebleed prevention
Things you can do to prevent nosebleeds include:
Avoid rubbing the nose, and keep your nails short.
Clean your nose as little as possible and only very gently.
Keep your home humid.
Wear a headgear during activities where your nose or head may be injured.
Always follow the instructions that come with nasal decongestants, as excessive use can cause nosebleeds.
Talk to your doctor if you have frequent nosebleeds that you can't prevent, and he or she may refer you to an ear, nose and throat specialist for an evaluation.
Causes of nosebleeds in children
The most common causes of nosebleeds in children, according to Sidra Medicine Qatar, include:
Nose picking. Babies tend to play with their noses when the air is dry and the mucus in their nose dries up.
Dry air, this is common in areas with a particularly dry climate.
What is the treatment of children's epistaxis at home?
Most cases of nosebleeds can be treated at home easily, according to Sidra Medicine. The following are recommended:
Be calm and calm the child.
Gently ask the child, if he is big enough, to blow his nose to get rid of some of the clumps of blood that has formed inside his nostrils.
This may increase the bleeding temporarily, but that's okay.
Have your child sit up straight and lean forward to prevent bleeding from entering the back of the throat, which can make him vomit.
Press firmly on the soft part of the nose for at least 10 minutes.
Do not stop the pressure to see if the bleeding has stopped. The bleeding may not stop if you stop the pressure after a short time.
Ask your child to breathe through his mouth.
Check for bleeding after 10 minutes.
If bleeding continues, apply pressure for another 10 minutes.
If bleeding continues, apply pressure again for 10 minutes.
Seek immediate medical attention if you apply pressure for at least 30 minutes and the bleeding does not stop.
Once the nosebleed stops, have your child play quietly, making sure he doesn't fiddle or rub his nose for the next few hours.
Home care tips to reduce the possibility of children's epistaxis
Trim your child's nails to keep them short and prevent him from playing with his nose.
Try increasing the humidity in your home, or putting a humidifier in your child's room.
Put some moisturizing gel in your child's nose twice a day, to keep the nose moist.
After a nosebleed, encourage your child to do quieter activities for one to two days.
Advise your child to avoid heavy lifting or straining for two or three days after a nosebleed.
Minimize the use of medications such as nasal sprays.
When is pediatric epistaxis dangerous?
Seek medical advice for a child if:
I applied pressure to the nose for at least 30 minutes and the bleeding did not stop.
Your child feels dizzy or lightheaded after a nosebleed.
Your child is at risk because of a medical condition.